The invention relates to a packaging sleeve. In particular, the invention relates to a packaging blank capable of forming a sleeve having at least one internal cavity. The invention further relates to a sleeve formed from the blank that includes at least one internal cavity and at least one retaining panel. Still further, the invention relates to a method of packaging an article in the sleeve wherein the sleeve is formed around the article to be packaged.
Publications such as magazines have become a popular vehicle for promoting the goods and services of a variety of consumer-oriented providers. For example, the advances in media technology coupled with the popularity of sound and video recording have resulted in the packaging and binding of large numbers of stored media items, such as compact discs (CD) and digital video discs (DVD), into magazines. As applied to the media industry, packaging is often used to ship complimentary CDs and DVDs containing software for on-line service providers. Alternatively, packaging is used to ship CDs or DVDs containing promotional presentations of a merchant""s goods or services to potential or existing customers. Moreover, providers often distribute substantially flat or near planar articles via magazines. Consequently, the packaging industry is attempting to meet increased demand by providing improved packaging tailored to CDs, DVDS, and substantially flat articles, and developing more efficient methods of packaging the same.
For ease of reference, the term xe2x80x9carticlexe2x80x9d will refer to a CD or DVD. Nevertheless it will be understood that the article may include any number of substantially flat or near planar articles. It will be further understood by those skilled in the art that as used herein, the term CD refers to a stored media item made of single-piece construction. Further, the term DVD refers to a stored media item made of multi-piece construction, thereby allowing increased storage capacity.
Conventional packaging includes a top wall, bottom wall, and closure panels for containing various articles, such as stored media items, or substantially flat articles. As known to those skilled in the art, packaging is typically formed from packaging blanks, or blanks for short. It will be understood that as used herein the term xe2x80x9cblankxe2x80x9d may include paperboard, rigid paper, flexible polyester film, or similar products made of paperboard or polyester film. These blanks are capable of being formed into sleeves for incorporation into printed publications (e.g., magazines, periodicals, etc.). Typical sleeves are formed from flexible polyester film. Another form of sleeve for shipping CDs and DVDs is comprised of a flat blank of paperboard divided into equal first and second sections by a fold line. A scored line typically defines the fold line.
The publishing industry favors substantially rectangular one-piece flexible blanks because the blanks are readily incorporated into automated processes for binding sleeves into publications, such as magazines and books. Actual insertion of the article into the sleeve is accomplished by either manual or automated processes. Manual insertion of articles is slow and labor intensive. Although typically more efficient than manual insertion, current automated insertion systems may result in increased waste, slower production speeds, and may also require additional labor on the production line. By supplying an article-embedded sleeve, the need for manual or in-line insertion of articles is eliminated, thus creating significant efficiencies in the production process.
Most current processes employed create packaging on one apparatus and then insert articles on a separate apparatus after the container is formed. The method of packaging articles described above typically uses a belt-driven conveyor for advancing a blank along a production line. In production, the blank is folded along fold lines and portions of the blank are secured to one another (e.g., by adhesive) to form a sleeve. Subsequently, the primary article (e.g., CD) is either mechanically or manually inserted into the sleeve.
The more efficient methods for packaging CDs or DVDs into sleeves are automated. One method for packaging includes the following steps: advancing blanks along a conveyor to a scoring position, scoring the blank along a center line dividing the blank into two equal portions, advancing the scored blank to an adhering position, applying adhesive to edges of the sleeve positioned perpendicular to the fold line, advancing the blank to a folding position, folding the blank along its score line such that the equal portions are folded against and adhered to one another to thereby form a sleeve, advancing the sleeve to an article inserting position, laterally inserting the CD or DVD into the sleeve, and subsequently sealing the remaining open end. Unfortunately, the lateral insertion of CDs or DVDs (i.e., coplanar movement) into the open end or slit in the sleeve is inherently slow. Stated differently, the automated process of laterally inserting CDs and DVDs leads to misalignment and misplacement, thus resulting in breakage of the article or complete failure to place the article into the sleeve. In the event that the article is broken or misplaced, the production line must be halted. Furthermore, the likely occurrence of misplaced articles, thus resulting in empty sleeves, requires increased vigilance on the part of quality control managers.
Several types of sleeves lack windows that permit a view of the packaged article and any information (e.g., CD title) printed on the media item. Without such a window, it is not obvious that the package contains the media item it carries. This often results in the recipient discarding a package without the knowledge that it contains a valuable media item. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a packaging blank capable of forming a sleeve that includes at least one display window that permits viewing of an article contained therein.
Moreover, most sleeves lack a retaining flap that facilitates frontal access to an article positioned in the sleeve. For example, most sleeves include a closure panel attached to an open end of the sleeve and adhered to an exterior portion of the sleeve. In order to access the article, a consumer must detach a corner of the closure panel that is adhered to the sleeve and then tear the closure panel from the sleeve. Typically, the consumer tears the sleeve during the removal of the article. Accordingly, there is a need for a packaging sleeve suitable for use with conventional binding machinery that permits frontal access to an article positioned therein.
The packaging industry has attempted to meet the demand for providing, for example, promotional CDs through joint efforts with the publishing industry. One method is to stack the sleeve on top of a magazine and then wrap the sleeve-magazine combination in an oftentimes transparent film to form a bag. This method is commonly referred to as xe2x80x9cpolybagging.xe2x80x9d As known to those of ordinary skill in the art, polybagging includes loosely wrapping polyester or polyethylene based film around the magazine-sleeve combination and thereafter heat sealing the ends of the bag.
Alternatively, a CD may be placed in a packaging sleeve and then bound to a magazine with an adhesive. One method of adhering a sleeve to a publication in this manner involves binding the sleeve into the spine and is commonly referred to as the xe2x80x9cperfect boundxe2x80x9d method. Another method utilizing adhesive requires the sleeve to be attached to the face of one of the pages in the publication and is commonly referred to as xe2x80x9ctipping.xe2x80x9d Yet another method for binding a sleeve and a magazine includes fastening a portion of the sleeve to the pages of the magazine by stitching during the binding process.
The method of stitching is commonly refereed to as xe2x80x9csaddle stitching.xe2x80x9d In order to perform the stitching, however, the sleeve must provide a binding flap for receiving the stitching that binds the sleeve to the pages of the publication.
The prior art reveals sleeves that are approximately the same size as a CD. In other words, prior art sleeves fail to provide excess surface area extending beyond the perimeter of the CD. As a result, the prior art sleeves containing a rigid CD lack the flexibility for inclusion into conventional binding machinery. Moreover, the relatively smaller size of the sleeves, as compared to the pages of the publication to which they are bound, minimizes the print space available for advertising or related information. Current sleeves capable of being fed using standard feeders require that those feeders operate at significantly slower speeds as compared to their maximum rate of speed.
Typical conventional automated binding processes require prior art sleeves to be fed into the pages of a publication with specialty feeders. Unfortunately, the specialty feeders tend to slow the binding process along the automated production line. Consequently, the entire automated process is slowed. Stated differently, the maximum production speed for providing sleeves bound in publications is limited by the rate at which the feeders are able to feed the sleeves into the production line. Thus, there is a need for an articleembedded sleeve that does not require the use of a specialty feeder during binding and does not slow the rate of production for a standard feeder.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,694,743 to Beighle describes a sleeve containing a computer disc product that is incorporated into a book and a method of providing the combined product. The sleeve of Beighle is a five-section blank that includes a base ply, cover ply, gluing flap, trim flap, and a closure and access flap. The method of the ""743 patent includes directing pressurized air into an opening in the sleeve, laterally inserting the disc into the enlarged opening in the sleeve, and then sealing the sleeve. Stated differently, the disc is laterally inserted into a completed sleeve. As disclosed, the ""743 patent fails to disclose a sleeve having a display window and frontal access that is capable of incorporation into conventional binding processes without the need for specialty feeders. Moreover, Beighle fails to disclose a method of forming a sleeve around the article to be packaged. As described, Beighle""s method of laterally inserting, for example, a CD slows the binding process for the reasons stated above (i.e., misplacement).
Thus, there is a need for a sleeve that can be bound into a publication utilizing current common feeders that minimizes or eliminates the hindrances associated with current sleeves. Additionally, these sleeves should allow the advertiser to take advantage of the full-page size of the publication to communicate their advertising messages. Furthermore, the sleeve needs to be flexible enough to allow it to bend sufficiently to wrap around the wheels and drums associated with publication bindery equipment.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide for the packaging of a substantially planar article (e.g., CD or DVD) suitable for use in automated binding.
Another object of the invention is the provision of a sleeve formed from a blank that increases the efficiency of automated binding processes.
Yet another object of the invention is the provision of a sleeve that promotes frontal access to an article without destroying the sleeve.
A further object of the invention is to increase the manufacturing efficiencies associated with placing articles in sleeves.
Another object of the invention is to maximize the advertising space on a sleeve.
Yet a further object of the invention is the provision of an article-embedded sleeve that can be readily incorporated into existing binding processes without the need for specialty feeders in order to increase the rate of production for bound publications including sleeve inserts.
The invention meets these objectives with a packaging blank capable of forming a sleeve having at least one internal cavity. In particular, the invention is a packaging sleeve having at least one display window that provides a view of the internal cavity of the container upon construction. In another aspect, the invention is a method for packaging an article that incorporates the blank wherein the sleeve is formed around the article.
The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention and the manner in which the same are accomplished will become clearer based on the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: